3 ways to Build Good Sleep Hygiene

Being a sleepyhead has its benefits

By: Raquel Van Ry

Sleep hygiene is about creating good habits that result in more restful sleep and benefits for your mental health, productivity, and overall quality of life. I find it fascinating how I can be a hellion one day and fail to recognize the correlation between my grumpiness and the fact that I’d stayed up late binge-watching Netflix the night before. If you too have struggled with keeping your eyes open during the day, here’s a few tips that you could add to your daily life to improve your sleep hygiene.

1. Out with the old

Creating new habits is hard, and breaking old habits is harder. Whether it’s sipping a cappuccino to wind down after a long day or consistently pulling all-nighters, if you’re struggling to get a solid night’s rest, then it’s time to take a look at your day and see what’s hurting your sleep hygiene. Changing everything at once is challenging and sets you up for failure. Instead, start by adding a small positive step or two to your night routine. Eventually, you’ll create enough good habits that you won’t have time for your bad habits anymore. Start by replacing your evening coffee with some chamomile tea, or maybe put a few drops of chamomile or lavender essential oils in your diffuser to help calm your mind and body.

2. Adapt your routine

Sleep needs to be your top priority, and your nighttime routine should start the moment you wake up in the morning. By setting a fixed wake-up time, you can start the day on the right foot. Once your body gets used to following a sleep schedule, getting up in the morning will be a lot less groggy, and you won’t feel the need to nap as much. Naps can be a great energy booster if done right, but if you nap too often or for too long, you’re sabotaging your sleep. By keeping your naps short and confined to the early afternoon, you’ll feel more rested and still be able to sleep through the night. During the day, try to get outdoors and engage in some physical activity. In the evening, aim to set aside half an hour or so before bed to put away your phone and go through your night-time routine. Whether that’s brushing your teeth, practicing mindfulness before bed, or simply just reading before you turn the lights off, choose a series of activities that will calm you and send clear signals to your brain that it’s time for bed. 

3.  Put yourself to bed 

The more you prepare for bed, the more likely you’ll be able to enjoy a restful sleep. Make your bed in the morning so it’s more inviting to crawl into at night. Turn down the temperature as a cooler room often helps you enjoy a deeper sleep. Use blackout curtains and turn off any computer lights or distractions to create a dark, quiet space. Finally, take some time to practice a little self care and use some soothing products like our Deluxe Sleep kit to help you wind down before bed. The Deluxe Sleep kit dream team is composed of both lavender and ylang ylang essential oils, in addition to an almond base oil and lympha facial roller.

To use: mix lavender essential oil and/or ylang ylang essential oil into the almond base oil, and smooth it over your face, neck and chest with the lympha facial roller to relieve tension and gain a head start on sleep time.

If you’re interested in improving your sleep hygiene, read this article for more tips!